Robert C. Broward Collection
Scope and Content
The Robert C. Broward Collection dates from 1932 to 2015 (bulk 1946-2011) and primarily contains personal papers, office and professional papers, correspondence, awards and licensures, magazine and newspaper articles, project files, photographs, slides, microfilm, drawings, presentation boards, and a model belonging to distinguished Jacksonville, Florida architect and author Robert C. Broward.
Series 1: "Personal papers, 1932-2015" contains correspondence, drawings, biographical information, photographs, scrapbooks, anniversary material from Broward's Taliesin fellowship, and student work at Georgia Tech. The series is arranged alphabetically.
Series 2: "Office and professional papers, 1954-2001" contains professional organization files, architectural office files and photographs, papers, speeches, lectures, and Broward's courses at the University of Florida. The series is arranged alphabetically.
Series 3: "Correspondence, 1950-2008" contains personal and professional correspondence belonging to Robert Broward. The series is organized chronologically by year.
Series 4: "Awards and licensures, 1956-2012" contains awards received by Broward as well as his professional licensure certificates to practice architecture in various states. The series is organized chronologically.
Series 5: "Magazine and newspaper articles, 1952-2018" primarily contains articles featuring Broward's architectural projects as well as articles written by Broward or about Broward's body of work in general. The series is arranged into three distinct sections that are organized chronologically. First there are full magazines/books containing Broward’s articles, then there are magazine clippings of articles filed by year, and finally there are newspaper clippings (including both photocopies and originals) filed by year. Key projects represented include the Laurel Grove House, Wesley Manor Retirement Village, and Walker A-Frame Beach House.
Series 6: "Projects, 1934-2010" contains records of the architectural projects of Robert Broward and comprises the bulk of the records in the collection. The series is broken down further by format into four subseries including 6a. Files, 6b. Photographs, negatives, slides, and microfilm, 6c. Drawings and presentation boards, and 6d. Models. Most of the records are arranged based on Broward's original filing system where he assigned each project a four-digit number, with the first two numbers indicating the year and the second two numbers indicating the project number for that year. For instance "4601" indicates the first project of 1946.
Subseries 6a: "Files, 1946-2010 (bulk 1946-2006)" contains project correspondence, contracts, inspection report, small format drawings, and other project files. The series is arranged chronologically by project number. Broward's project inventories have been included at the front of the subseries for reference.
Subseries 6b: "Photographs, negatives, slides, and microfilm, 1934-2006 (bulk 1946-2006)" contains a variety of formats and is further broken down into three sub-subseries including 6bi. "Photographs and negatives", 6bii. "Slides", and 6biii. "Microfilm." The photographs and negatives are organized chronologically in the same way as the "Files" series based on the job numbering system created by Broward. The "Slides" are stored in their original binders maintained by Broward. For the most part these are also in chronological order by job number, however some of the slides are not attached to particular job numbers. The "Microfilm" contains a small selection of microfilm rolls for projects in the 1960s and 1970s.
Subseries 6c: "Drawings and presentation boards, 1947-2007" is broken up further into two subseries including 6ci. Rolled drawings and 6cii. Flat drawings and presentation boards. These are large format oversized project drawings. These are organized chronologically based on Broward's job numbering system. Also included are jobs without project numbers and early student work.
Subseries 6d: "Models, 1967" contains a model of the Regency Theater in Jacksonville, FL.
Prominent projects featured in the collection include the Home Office Building for Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc. in Deerfield Beach, FL, Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, Twin Gables Theater in Coral Gables, FL, Jacksonville Art Museum, Wesley Manor Retirement Village in St. John's County, the J. M. Family Enterprises in Deerfield Beach, Koger Gallery of Art, Performing Arts Theatre at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Oak Mountain Chapel and Community Center in Carrollton, GA, Laurel Grove House, FL, Walker A-Frame Beach House in South Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and Dake and Yoffee residences in Jacksonville, FL.
Dates
- Creation: 1932 - 2018
Creator
- Broward, Robert C. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
Robert Charles Broward, was born in Jacksonville, Florida on March 30, 1926 to Pulaski Broward, Sr. and Ida Starratt Broward, both pioneer families of Duval County and Florida. During World War II he volunteered for air crew training in the Army Air Corps and was discharged as a second lieutenant. Broward received two degrees in architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1946-1952) and a fellowship to study under Frank Lloyd Wright (Taliesin Fellowship 1949-1950).
Broward opened his architecture studio in 1956. His completed work includes, among others, the headquarters for Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc. (J.M. Family Enterprises) in Deerfield Beach, FL, Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, Twin Gables Theater in Coral Gables, FL, Jacksonville Art Museum, Wesley Manor Retirement Village in St. John's County, Koger Gallery of Art, Performing Arts Theatre at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Oak Mountain Chapel and Community Center in Carrollton, GA, Laurel Grove House, FL, Walker A-Frame Beach House in South Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and Dake and Yoffee residences in Jacksonville, FL.
He was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2011, and he served as adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Florida for many years. He is the author of The Architecture of Henry John Klutho: The Prairie School in Jacksonville, and has published numerous articles on architecture and the history of architecture. He also published The Broward Family: From France to Florida 1764-2011, which documents the history of his family.
He passed away at the age of 89 on June 28, 2015.
Sources:
"Robert Charles Broward - Obituary." The Florida Times Union, 18-19 Jul. 2015, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesunion/obituary.aspx?n=robert-charles-broward&pid=175316032.
Extent
56.25 Linear Feet (178 Boxes, 49 Oversize Folders, 3 Oversize Rolls, 1 Model)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Personal papers, correspondence, awards, office records, project files, photographs, slides, drawings, presentation boards, models, and magazine and journal articles belonging to distinguished Jacksonville, Florida architect and author, Robert C. Broward, who through the course of his 61 year professional career designed more than 500 projects. Broward also served as an adjunct professor of design at the University of Florida.
Arrangement
The Robert Broward Collection is divided into six records series.
Location
Please note that parts of this collection are housed in the Auxiliary Library Facility off campus and will require advance notice for timely retrieval. Please contact the Special and Area Studies Collections department prior to your visit.
Acquisition Information
The bulk of the collection was deposited at the University of Florida by Robert Broward in 2011. The collection was donated to the University in 2018 by his daughter, Kristanna Barnes.
Alternative Format Available
Digital reproductions of selected items in the Robert C. Broward Collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects.
Subject
- Broward, Robert C. (Person)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- A Guide to the Robert C. Broward Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Gerald Loyola, Hope Scheff, and Alyson Tran
- Date
- May 2019
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu